Wheel-hub



B. C. ZUHARS AND H.'D. CLARKE.

WEEEL HUB.

APPLICATlON FILED FEB- 5, I920- 1 ,374, 1 33. Patented Apl 5, 1921.

2 SHEET$SHEET I.

fizz/621 B. C. Zahara. H Clarke.

B. C. ZUHARS AND H. D- CLARKE.

WEEEL HUB. 7 APPLICATION F|LE D FEB 6, 1920- 1,374,1 33 Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STA'l'lEiEi PATENT OFFICE.

BEN'TATJIIN C. ZUHARS AND HARRY CLARKE, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE OHIO TRACTOR COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

WHEEL-HUB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

Application filed February 6, 1920. Serial No. 356,747.

To all 10 7mm it may GOIZCGWt.

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN C. ZU- runs and HARRY Don. CLARKE, citizens of the United States, residing at Grand View l-leights, Columbus in the county of Frank lin and State of (lhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in iihechflubs; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description cit able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in wheel hubs oi the internal gear type, principally adaptable for tractor andtruck wheels, and has for one of 1ts objects the provision of a device of this character which shall be extremely easy to manufacture and cast or machined and which shall be durable and eliicient in operation.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a wheel hub of the character stated which shall be tree of bosses or raised portions used around spoke receiving openings in tractor wheels now in use, and which have proven disadvantageous owing tothe tendency to collect mud, dust, grease etc. The omission of such bosses or raised portions renders the structure comparatively simple and permits a more perfect casting to be obtained from the same number of pourings, also providing a better hub from a machining standpoint as it can be chucked troni either side.

. A Further object o'l: this invention is the provision of a wheel hub of the character stated whereby the weight is carried equally by both of the bearings.

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of our invention, reference is to 'be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view, illustrating a wheel hub constructed in accordance with our invention and secured to a traction wheel of a well known type.

2 is a detail elevation of the hub looking at the outer side thereof.

the invention such as will en-.

including a cylindrical spindle housing 2, l

and a drum 8. The drum 8 is formed integrally with the outer end portion of the housing 2 and to provide a strong and durable connection between the housing and hub, and the outer end 2 of the housing is increased in thickness in an outward direction. This increase in thickness also strengthens the hub at the point where the inner ends of the outer series of spokes 4: are connected thereto.

The housing is provided with countersunk openings i to receive. the inner ends of the spokes so as to prevent said ends of said spokesfrom interfering with the bearing 5 contained in the outer end of said housing. The inner ends of the spokes are attached to the housingQ in a plane approximately in alinement with the transverse center of the bearing 5 and said bearing is held against inward movement with relation to the housing 2 by an annular flange 5 which also strengthens the hous ing'at'the point of its formation with the drum. An annular flange is formed within the housingQ adjacent its inner end for limiting the inward movement of the inner bearing 6 confined in the space 7 of the housing. It will be seen that the housing is supported by a spindle 7 at its inner and outer ends.

The drum 3 extends from the spindle housing 2 in a radial direction to provide a circular wall 3 and thence in a horizontal direction to provide an annular wall or flange 3 The free edge of the'flange 3 extends outwardly beyond the inner end of the spindle housing 2. This wall and flange form a chamber for the reception of a couple gear 9 secured to a drive axle 10 and also a bearing 11 for the outer end of the drive axle 10 and which is carried by a cup 12 formed integrally with a gear guard 13 secured to the end 01": a dilierential housing 14. The inner portion of the annular wall or flange 3 of the hub is adapted to fit within a flange 14 formed on the gear guard and contact with packing 15 carried by said flange 14 to prevent dirt and foreign matter from entering the interior of the hub. The annular wall or flange 3 has secured to itsinner face a ring gear 16 which meshes with thepinion 9. .The pinion 9 and its mounting and also the gear guard form subject matter of a co-pending application filed February 6, 1920, and serially numbered 356,7l8, and allowed May 4th, 1920.

An inner series of spokes 8' of the wheel are connected at their inner ends. 2, to the flange 3 of the drum 3 and are approximately in alinement with the transverse center of the bearing 6 sovthat the weight is evenly distributed on the outer and inner strengthen and reinforce the same at its inner portion. The ribs or webs 9 so strengthen and reinforce the spindle housing 2 and the drum 3 as to prevent them from breaking down under the severest strain.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it will be seen that the outer faces o the spindle housing and drum are smooth, doing away with bosses or like raised portions and providing a construction which may be cast or machined. In the machining operatiomthe hub may be chucked from either end toward the center. Further, it is to be noted by thearrangement of the hub construction and the spokes that the weight is equally distributed between the bearings 5 and 6. The outer ends of the inner and outer spokes are connected to a usual rim 18. The drum 3 is of suflicient depth so that the circular wheel 3 thereof will not engage r contact with the couple gear 9, thus pro viding a construction of hub which permits the use of such a drive and which has not been heretofore practical on account of the construction used in wheels or hubs.

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of our'invention, it will be understood that minor changes in. construction, combination, and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described our invention what we claim is 1. A wheel hub comprising a spindle housing, a drum formed integrally with the forward end of the housing and increasing the thickness thereof and having openings to receive the outerseries of spokes of a wheel, said drum extending radially and inwardly over the rear portion of the housing and having openings in its inner portion to r ceive the inner series of spokes of the wheel, and reinforcing elements on the inner face of the drum and inner portion of the housing.

2. A wheel comprising a spindle housing, a drum formed integrally with the outer end of the housing and increasing the thickness thereof, and inner and outer bearings located in said housing, said housing having openings to receive the inner ends of the outer series of spokes of a wheel to position the outer spokes approximately in alinement with the transverse center of said outer bearing, said drum extending radially and inwardly to define a circular wall and an annular flange, said annular flange having openings to receive the inner ends of an inner series of spokes of the wheel so as to position the inner spokes approximatel 1 in alinement with the transverse center of said inner bearing.

3. A wheel hub comprising a spindle housing having chambers formed at each end thereof, inner and outer bearings lo cated in said chambers, a drum formed on the outer end of the housing and extending radially and inwardly to define a straight wall an annular flange, said straight wall and outer end of I housing having smooth faces, said outer end of the hous ing and the annular flange having openings to receive the inner ends of inner and outer series of spokes of a wheel so that the inner and outer spokes a e approximately in alinement with the transverse centers of said bearings to evenly distribute the weight upon the inner and outer hearings.

in testimony whereof we our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

. BENJAMIN GVZUHARS.

HARRYD. CLARKE. lVitnesses: v v 7 WILLIAM F. GARRETT, James F. LANGHEAD. 

